Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics on Tuesday "began accepting applications from the public" on ideas for the Games' official mascots, according to Ayano Shimizu of KYODO. Japanese nationals and foreign residents can "submit designs and profiles of mascots electronically" until noon on Aug. 14, either individually or in groups of up to 10 people, but the representative applicant must be aged 18 or above as of April 1. A selection panel will "come up with a shortlist of three or four candidate designs by early December, after the entries are screened and checked to make sure they do not violate trademark rights." The winner will be chosen in a vote by elementary school classes across Japan from Dec. 11-Jan. 19 (KYODO, 8/1).
USFK SUPPORT: YONHAP reported the U.S. said that it is "bringing an unprecedented gala" to Seoul to celebrate the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and show support for the organizers of the Games with American troops stationed in South Korea. The USOC is hosting the "Team USA WinterFest" event at the Yongsan base of the U.S. Forces Korea on Feb. 19 during the Olympics. USOC Chief External Affairs Officer Patrick Sandusky said, "The connection between Team USA and the military is very, very strong" (YONHAP, 8/1).
